48 | Master Plumbers Awards 2023: Devine Plumbing T T Sue Russell Top plumber leading from the front Cam Devine with the NZ Master Plumber of the Year award. CONTRACTING Producing top quality services for concrete driveways, patios, foundations and small to large scale commercial projects all across Hawkes Bay. Proudly supporting Devine Plumbing 027 272 0370 levi@shorelineconcrete.co.nz One of Aqua Tanks most trusted installers aquatanks.co.nz Call us on 0800 370 007 or visit our website businesscentral Each edition priority delivered to your door. . Stay informed; we work with business owners and decision-makers across all economic sectors, pro iling their success. i ; i i i i - ll i , ili i . www.waterfordpress.co.nz/subscriptions . . . i i 03 983 5525 03 983 5525 Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. Volume 6 | Issue 2 | April 2021 www.waterfordpress.co.nz ‘Excellence in Energy’ Taranaki’s Todd Energy will have a key role to play as New Zealand moves toward a low emissions economy. Page 8 Waikato farmers Dean & Ang Finnerty have expanded their dairy cow operation into a successful goat milking enterprise as well PAGE 10 Turning challenge into opportunity AUTUMN 2022 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Volume 6 | Issue 3 | July 2021 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Making waves Back on track New Zealand hydrofoil maker Armstrong is generating interest around the world with its high performance products. Work on the ambitious NZCIS facility in Upper Hutt is progressing well after Covid disruptions. PAGE 70 PAGE 10 Healthy delivery A new elective surgery facility in Hastings will provide a big boost to the region’s operating capacity. PAGE 52 Volume 6 | Issue 5 | December 2021 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Cheers Boys! YoungWellington irm3Māori Boys is creating a buzz with it’s ground-breakingWai Manuka natural beverage. PAGE 45 Passion and pride New Plymouth’s Energyworks has forged a strong reputation in 50 years of business. PAGE 64 Seaview upgrade CentrePort’s SeaviewWharf facility is set for a major upgrade to bring it up to international standards. PAGE 14 Cam Devine is pretty proud of the achievement of his plumbing, gasfitting and drainage company based in Napier. This year, the business has beaten off strong opposition to be named NZ Master Plumber of the Year. Not only that, one team member, Mandy Burgess, took out the Women in Plumbing award. Cam’s big on it being a team effort. It’s his quiet style of leadership and it’s a style that works, given he’s grown the business from a very small team to 24 today. Responding to the devastation caused in the Hawke’s Bay from Cyclone Gabrielle brought a call for all hands on deck to stop their daily tasks and get stuck into supporting the wider community. Cam says the decision was a ‘no-brainer’. “Well we had all the tools to assist with the most important things that had to be attended to first in these badly affected communities.” This was achieved by paying his staff to take two weeks off the tools and apply their skills and knowledge to instead helping homes and families who had lost everything. “Some of us worked 20 days straight to give back to the community in any way we could, with our gear and knowledge. All bar one or two from my team pitched in and those who didn’t had also been impacted by the cyclone,” says Cam. This year is another milestone as well, celebrating 10 years since establishing. Before this Cam had worked for another company a similar length of time, gaining his plumbing qualifications. He initially went into business with his father and for the first six weeks it was just the two of them on the tools. After this time, they took on their first apprentice. “After 4 years dad said he had had enough so the last six years I’ve been at the helm. Supporting the impressive growth in team size Hawke’s Bay is a region that has been in growth phase.” About four years ago Cam says he got tired of looking for qualified staff so set out to start training entry-level employee – who displayed a good work ethic and attitude – himself. “Training my own team has been absolutely the right thing to do. It means I can be sure that all the team are trained to my standards and they all produce top quality work. It’s just simpler to work this way, rather than take on experienced staff who may have different ways of doing things.” And committing to remaining fully on the tools, managing all the apprentices, is where Cam is at his best, leaving the organising of where the crews go with Mandy in the office. He says Devine Plumbing is all about taking on diverse work so that apprentices get exposed to a wide range of work. “People phone us because they ring other people who don’t want to do the dirty work. We’re in it boots and all!” Asked whether he’s happy with the size the business is now Cam says he is. Getting any bigger means losing touch with every one in the team. Cam especially just wants to get the team qualified. “Some of us worked 20 days straight to give back to the community in any way we could, with our gear and knowledge.” “If you get any bigger you have to have managers managing people and something is intrinsically lost.” Cam uses an analogy to describe how he runs the company. “You can have a horse and cart with the Boss at the back whipping the horses. Then you can be leading the horse and cart from the front; that’s the kind of boss I like to be.” What surprises Cam is that people just don’t realise how diverse plumbing is as a career, opening up lots of opportunities to specialise in several disciplines in time. “There are three separate trades you can become qualified in so that opens up plenty of opportunities.” Devine Plumbing also hold IQP status which means we test backflow prevention devices which are on all premises that have a risk of backflow back into the town water supply,we test and service all the valves for Napier City Council plus other commercial retailers. Apprenticeships take 5 years to complete across all three disciplines. Of the current team of 12 plumbers, Devine Plumbing has eight apprentices that are undergoing their apprenticeship in all 3 trades. “I have some nearly qualified all the way back to a new apprentice starting next week.” As for Mandy, Cam is full of praise for her commitment to the trade. She has been with Devine Plumbing two years now and according to Cam is ‘just smashing it’. Cam says he’s keen to employ more women. His wife Marikki is a plumber and Cam thinks they add a valuable dimension to projects on site. It is clear to see that Cam is passionate about plumbing and in supporting young people to advance in the trade. “I just love plumbing and I have a passion for seeing people grow and do well.”
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